Presentation | Public Speaking Tips

About Loren

Loren McDonald is a marketing evangelist for marketing automation provider Silverpop, an IBM Company. As part of my “evangelism” role I speak to audiences both large and small around the world.

I first caught the public speaking “bug” way back in about 1989 while in a marketing role at the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen and was asked to speak to 300 of my fellow marketers from around the world. This was before Powerpoint and when we used overhead projectors and acetate sheets.

I remember having written out my entire talk and staying up all night rehearsing my talk in front of the mirror. It was my first time, other than book reports in school, speaking in front of an audience. I was terrified. But I did a great job and fell in love with the craft of speaking and a journey of trying to get better and better every time that I present.

I didn’t speak very frequently after that first experience until I became VP of Marketing at an email marketing software start-up in 2003. Speaking at conferences quickly became a key part of my role and a few years later I would average about 12-15 presentations per year. Roll forward to 2015 and I am on pace to delivery around 25 presentations – in London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, India, Sydney, Melbourne and many in the U.S.

So why a blog about public speaking? Why “Present Like a Rock Star”?

In my work helping clients prepare to speak on stage – either jointly with me or by themselves – I discovered that most had never spoken on stage for and lived in great fear of the prospect. I’ve also been the unfortunate witness of hundreds of less than stellar presentations that combine poorly designed slides, lack of stories or passion and extreme nervousness.

So this blog and a book I plan to write, is designed to help the average person who speaks a few times a year – to find their inner rock star and become speakers who don’t just present, but wow their audiences.